1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to portable folding furniture, and more particularly to a furniture piece that can be collapsed to a folded condition rendering the structure portable and un-folded to a set-up condition providing a sturdy piece of furniture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable folding chairs and tables are known in the art and are provided in many different forms and manufactured from many different materials. Folding metal chairs are known that have a tubular frame with front legs that extend upward and rearward wherein a metal sheet is attached to the upper ends of the legs defining a backrest. The rear legs of the chair typically extend upward and forward and attach to the front legs in scissor-like fashion at a leg pivot. The rear legs connect to a separate seat structure also typically in the form of a formed metal sheet. These types of chairs have a thin metal bar interconnecting the front and rear leg on each side of the chair below the leg pivot. The thin bar also has an intermediate pivot so that the bar can be bent in half when the chair is folded together. Folding and unfolding of the chair requires first manually lifting on the pivot of the thin bar.
There are many other types of folding chairs known in the art. The majority of these constructions are relatively complex and include a number of separate components to complete the chair and to support the chair in a set-up condition. There are also conventional folding table constructions which have four legs and a table top. Each leg folds down from being parallel with one edge of the tabletop to being perpendicular to the table top. These types of folding tables are commonly known as card tables.
Folding sling chairs are also known in the art and utilize a number of structural components which can be folded and unfolded to construct a piece of furniture or make the furniture portable. These types of chairs utilize a piece of fabric suspended by its two opposite ends. The single piece of fabric forms both a chair seat and chair backrest when a person sits in the chair with their weight supported by the fabric sling. Examples of sling chairs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,718,473 and 5,054,849.
Folding rocking chairs are also known in the art and also typically include a multitude of separate components that form the chair assembly. Foldable rocking chairs sometimes include bottom rails that have curved bottom surfaces on which an individual can rock. An example of such a folding rocking chair is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,675. An even more elaborate foldable rocking chair construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,921 and includes a number of sliding and pivoting elements interconnected to one another. The bottom rails sit on the ground and remain stationary while other elements of the chair produce the rocking feature.